Your teen comes home with flashy jewelry, new sneakers or a tech gadget you know she can't afford.

She starts skipping school, running away and refusing to tell you where she's going.

You pick up her phone one day and see she's taken sexually explicit selfies.

These are warning signs and should prompt a parent or caregiver to take action — at least that's the aim of "WI, We Need to Talk," a public awareness campaign about sex trafficking.

"All of that does not mean they're being trafficked, but it opens up a conversation about what would be those appropriate relationship boundaries," said Joy Ippolito, the anti-human trafficking coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

The campaign is coming to billboards and social media feeds across the state, posters inside movie theaters in southern Wisconsin and bus shelters in Milwaukee.

The goal? Help the general public recognize the warning signs of youth trafficking and know how to help.

"They are in a position to be our eyes and ears and that first line of prevention," Ippolito said.

Sex trafficking is not a new issue, but many people still think of it as an international problem, said Joe Scialfa, spokesman for the state Department of Children and Families.

"We're just trying to break that myth," he said. "This campaign is really about making people understand that it's happening right here, it's happening in Wisconsin."

Sex trafficking has been reported across Wisconsin, in rural and urban areas. Many young people who are being trafficked do not see themselves as victims and may not realize they are being trafficked.

The state child welfare agency began tracking referrals for possible trafficking last year, but did not have that data available Friday. A report released in March found at least 340 people ages 25 and younger had been victims of sex trafficking in Milwaukee over a four-year period.

“Youth sex trafficking is one of the most horrific forms of child abuse,” Secretary Eloise Anderson said in a news release. “The people who use vulnerable kids in this way, prey upon their isolation and past trauma, and rob them of their childhood."

High-risk warning signs

Child has a history of being missing, running away or being kicked out two or more times within the last six months.

Confirmed or reported use of hotels for parties or sexual encounters.

Child has unusual, unexplained or out of the ordinary tattoos.

Child has unexplained injuries.

What to do

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

If you suspect someone may be experiencing trafficking, report it to your local office of the state Department of Children and Families. Contact information can be found at dcf.wisconsin.gov/reportabuse.

Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888.